WORK to convert a Colne Valley mill into flats is set to start within five weeks.

WORK to convert a Colne Valley mill into flats is set to start within five weeks.

Demolition men have been knocking down external buildings at Titanic Mill in Linthwaite since January.

And Mr Ian Dove, technical and commercial director of developers Lowry Renaissance, of Manchester, said refurbishment was within sight.

"We are finalising the design work before starting the building work," he added.

The long-empty mill is to be transformed into 121 one and two-bedroom flats. They will cost between £80,000 and £200,000.

There will also be a range of leisure facilities, including a beauty suite, a gym, a swimming pool and a restaurant which will be open to the public.

The building will be developed in phases and flats will be sold in phases.

The Grade 2 listed mill was built in 1912, the same year the `unsinkable' luxury liner Titanic sank in the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg.

Some 1,513 people died in the tragedy.

The mill has been empty for more than a decade, falling victim to neglect and vandalism.

The grandeur of the White Star Line's Titanic will be recaptured in the furnishings and features of the mill developments.

There will be a replica of the ship's sweeping staircase, to connect the two levels of the development's Chart Room restaurant, a White Star lounge and a large-scale model of the Titanic set in the bottom of the swimming pool.